


Renegade Heartache

by NoisyNoiverns



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Developing Relationship, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Military, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Rivals to Lovers, Slow Burn, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-22 21:17:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10705302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoisyNoiverns/pseuds/NoisyNoiverns
Summary: The 26th Armiger Legion is the most highly-respected unit in the Turian Imperial Armed Forces. Lethal, brutal, and disciplined, it's an honor to be chosen to join their ranks- one Viridus Caestero hardly expected to be offered tohim.It's not what he expected. In the field, his new squad is everything their reputation speaks of, but off it, they're rough-and-tumble, crass, and, if you ask him, idiots. Most annoying of all is their sister squad, and their most prominent member, one Aulsius Aberlianus. He's everything Viridus isn't, and it's more than enough to drive Viridus up a wall. But the two units have to get along, so their squadmates hatch a plan...





	Renegade Heartache

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xMidnightSun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xMidnightSun/gifts).



_Sergeant Major Viridus Caestero, 26 th Armiger Legion._

No matter how many times Viridus repeated it to himself, it just couldn’t sink in. He’d been chosen for the 26th. _He’d_ been chosen for the _26 th._ Him. Not Freiya, not Vreena, not Axilus, not Szarus- _him._

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t entirely fair, since Axilus had gone AWOL and was living it up in Terminus, and Szarus had been recruited for freaking _Special Tactics,_ but still. He, of all turians, was the one going into the ranks of the legendary 26 th Armiger Legion.

Everyone said the 26th’s commanders hand-picked recruits. If you didn’t have the record for Blackwatch, nor the bad attitude for the Spectres, the 26th was sure to take a look. Viridus wasn’t sure what could be in his file for them to want him over any of his friends; they were more charismatic, more leaderly, more… _more._ He was just a soldier.

Apparently, that was what the 26th wanted, because even though he didn’t have Freiya’s tactical mind, or Axilus’s pedigree, or Vreena’s raw talent, he was the one on the shuttle headed for the 26th’s main base on Digeris with a gaggle of other recruits.

Supposedly, ages ago, the base had been on Palaven, but after the Krogan Rebellions, Command had seen fit to relocate them to Digeris, for the historical significance of it all. The place where your ancestors turned the tide of war was hallowed ground, after all. Perfect for the legion most commonly called the deadliest in the imperial armed forces. Watching the landscape fly by out the window, Viridus figured it wasn’t half-bad a decision. The base was nestled in a rocky desert, terraformed with hardy shrubs long ago to revitalize dying soil. It was almost a perfect match for the natural habitat of ancient turians, the sort of “ugly, but with _character”_ sort of landscape only a turian could love. Well, maybe quarians and drell, too, but certainly not the humidity-loving salarians, nor the temperate-dwelling asari and humans. Maybe it was a softling thing, scoffing at the comforts a chaparral biome had to offer that turians so happily embraced. Their loss.

Viridus knocked the side of his head with the heel of his palm. His internal monologue was starting to sound like Axilus. Damn romantic.

There was a sharp bark from the cockpit, followed by a few rasping coughs. The pilot, a cranky old codger by the name of Dex, whom Viridus swore had followed him to every new posting since his earliest assignment on the _Anchrivos_ , looked back at the lot of them over his shoulder. “We’re approaching Fort Taninis. Any of you got anything left for your wills, now’s the time.”

His hoarse guffaw echoed around the shuttle as Viridus exchanged looks with the others. Turian pilots were known for picking on “grounders,” but that didn’t make their senses of humor any easier to hear.

Viridus couldn’t get off the shuttle fast enough once it landed. Unfortunately, that meant he was the first one to encounter the thin-faced crested waiting for them, datapad in hand. He looked like one of his younger sister’s dolls after his _other_ little sister had gotten to them- that is, he looked like the different parts of his body had all been cobbled together from other turians, with a narrow head, broad shoulders, twiglike arms, and spindly legs supported by thick feet.

He must have noticed Viridus’s gaze, because he jerked his head up and snorted. “I know I’m pretty, recruit, but keep your eyes forward!” he barked. “All of you, line up and stand at attention!”

Viridus’s neck heated, and he couldn’t obey fast enough, falling into place between two skinny crestless. Great. What a way to start off. Maybe he should just get back on the shuttle, and save the 26th the embarrassment.

The oddly-built crested started pacing back and forth before them, hands clasped in the small of his back. “My name is First Lieutenant Septilius Galrian. I’m the quartermaster here at Fort Taninis. Your food, weapons, bedding, extranet connection- everything you could possibly need or want to live comfortably on this particular section of rock goes through my office. Unfortunately for _me,_ I’m the only one routinely available for meeting new recruits, so that’s my job, too.” He snorted and shook his head, coming to a stop and rounding on them. “Treat your possessions and space well, and we’ll get along fine. Get greedy, and I’ll be sure to include a nice note in the matchbox they send you back to your clan in.”

Viridus swallowed. Maybe it was a good thing Vreena hadn’t been recruited, then. Szarus complained about how rough she was on her belongings frequently.

Galrian coughed, the horribly raspy kind Viridus associated with… well, exactly this kind of person. “Now, obviously, the precious 26th doesn’t want all their new kids lumped into one squad, that’s just asking for trouble. I will read off your squad assignments, and you will head to the barracks accordingly. You’ll find the locations have already been sent to your omni-tools upon your arrival.”

Okay. Okay. That was fine. That was normal. That was how new assignments always worked out, and had ever since he’d been assigned to Commander Neight’s training squadron after basic. He could do this. He could do this. It was just like any other squadron, just with the added expectations of being _the 26 th fucking Armiger Legion._

“Caestero” was, obviously, mercifully early in the list. He only had to wait through Vesius Acilraka, Equsia Agamus, Nomus Aletius, and Canisia Bonidros before his name was called. He hoped the look in Galrian’s eyes when he stepped forward was simple recognition, and not malice; pissing off the quartermaster was the last thing he needed. “Maruns Squad for you, under Captain Lupinion. Hop to it.”

Viridus ducked his head and barked a curt, “Yes, sir,” then backed out of line and started to run around back, only to be stopped by a hand on his bicep. He stopped short, almost swallowing his tongue, and cautiously turned to see Dex had left the shuttle to watch the proceedings. “Uh… sir?”

Dex grinned at him, nodding in Galrian’s direction. “Don’t mind him, he’s more bark than bite. Just don’t ask him for replacements every month, and he’ll leave you alone.” He grunted and stood up, motioning for him to walk with him. “I know this fort like the back of my hand, and I know Maruns Squad doesn’t hang around their barracks if they can help it. Here, I’ll show you to them.”

“Mercanion!” Galrian hollered, and Dex flinched. “Leave the recruits alone!”

Dex snorted, and Viridus paused, suddenly not sure whose orders to follow. “I don’t have to be out of here until tomorrow, Septilius, I’m just being friendly! Unlike _somebody_ I could mention!”

Galrian grumbled, and Viridus stammered a bit before getting out, “You two know each other?”

“Oh, sure,” Dex said easily, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. “He’s my brother-in-law. He likes my sister a whole lot more than he likes me.” He snickered, shaking his head. “Anyway, kid, come on. Maruns likes to hang out around the rec center. Lots of folks do, there and the mess hall.”

He drew away, and Viridus hurried after him, scrambling to find his voice. “Uh, um, wait, sir?”

Dex glanced back at him with a raised brow plate, and it took almost embarrassingly long for his brain to put together, “Why help _me?_ You didn’t give any of the other recruits directions.”

Dex gave him a long look, then shrugged and faced forward again. “I remember you from the _Anchrivos._ You and that squad of Neight’s. Especially after what happened with… well, you know.”

Distant screams and gunfire played back in his memory, and he shuddered. He knew, alright. The piece of his crest that had been shot off hung around his neck as a very solid reminder, alongside a piece of Haldrus Iulianario’s armor worried down to a smooth oval of blue-white.

Dex nodded solemnly. “Right. Well, I just got to thinking… Why _you?”_

Viridus blinked, and the old pilot went on, “I mean, you’re a good soldier and all, but I just can’t sort it. Why’d the Legion pick _you?”_

Viridus’s gizzard clenched. Well, there was a vote of confidence for you. “With all due respect, sir, I’ve been asking myself the same thing.”

They continued on in silence for a little while, and Viridus took the opportunity to take in his surroundings. This was going to be his new home for a while, after all. Everywhere he looked, there was at least one turian in armor, usually more. He’d expected that, of course, but what surprised him was the sheer _volume._ There were squads running drills, a handful hanging out and mock-beating each other with their guns near a building neatly labeled ARMORY over the door, several lazing around in the midday heat, and that was just the people standing still. He thought he might even have seen a few asari darting around, and he _knew_ he’d caught a glimpse of two officers making out against the side of a barracks.

He was startled out of his observations by Dex elbowing him in the side. “Rec center’s just ahead,” he told him, pointing to a reddish-brown building several paces away. “Should be just Maruns and Saepil squads, this time of day. They work together a lot, so play nice.”

Viridus snorted. “Are you hanging around, sir?”

“Me? Eh, you’ll see me here and there. Us pilots get shuffled around a lot more than you grounders. Keeps us mentally stimulated, and all that psychology mumbo jumbo. I’m stationed here for the next couple months, ferrying new recruits in and getting squads to missions. There’s another couple batches coming in this week, so I’ll be out of here by tomorrow to pick up the next set.” He pulled open the door to the rec center and added, “After you.”

Viridus ducked his head respectfully and stepped in, then immediately jerked back as the air conditioning whacked him in the face. The rec center was almost frigid compared to the heavy heat of a chaparral summer. “Why is it so _cold?”_ he complained before he could catch himself. A soldier didn’t protest, just worked with what he was given.

Dex just laughed behind him. “You won’t be saying that after a morning running drills in this sun. Come on, Maruns likes to play _Predator vs Prey_ on the vidscreens. Maybe you’ll get lucky, and they’ll give you a controller _and_ let you join.”

He jabbed him in the back, and Viridus bit back a yelp as he started forward. Like most turian buildings, the layout was simple and practical, with an area for removing boots and armor and cloaks before opening up into the main hall. The rec center in particular was strewn haphazardly with circular tables and mismatched chairs; some had worn old board games atop, suspended in the middle of playing, most likely so the players could run off to drills. A couple tables had turians lounging at them, reading or playing cards or making idle conversation with each other. Storage lockers lined the outside wall, neatly labeled with their contents. The opposite wall instead held doors, left ajar to reveal plush carpeting and soft chairs. Quiet rooms, Viridus reasoned. They were a staple of every major base- rooms meant for the less socially inclined to relax away from their barracks.

At the far end of the room, a cluster of turians in fatigues were clustered around a vidscreen that flashed with action. Dex nudged him in their direction, and he obediently trailed over, trying to ignore how a few heads turned to follow him as he went. Turians were a social species, and so naturally curious about new additions to the circle, he reasoned to himself. They would leave him be once they knew who he was and why he was there.

As they approached, Viridus recognized the contents of the screen. _Predator vs Prey,_ like Dex had said. He’d played it a few times with his siblings, the last time they’d all been home at the same time. It was more fun the more players you had, really. It was a fairly simple premise: one person played as the “predator” and tried to hunt down as many of their friends as possible, while the rest played “prey” and tried to team up and kill the predator without alerting them to the plan. He’d heard some military officers were considering using it to help with team-building within squads.

Maruns squad seemed to be pretty on top of that, at least.

Beside him, Dex cleared his throat, and a couple of the turians who weren’t playing glanced up. One, a bulky crestless with charcoal-gray plates, hopped to her feet. “Hey, Dex,” she said breezily, loping over. “Who’s this?”

Dex nodded to her and elbowed Viridus. “New recruit for Maruns squad, LT. Kid, this is Lieutenant Octavigatus.”

She looked at him, and he snapped a salute so fast, he was almost surprised he didn’t hear a sonic boom. “Sergeant Major Viridus Caestero, ma’am.”

She returned the salute almost lazily. “At ease, Sergeant, we’re on break. Thanks, Dex, you can get going if you want.”

He nodded to her and clapped a hand on Viridus’s shoulder. “Good luck, kid. I need to head back. Play nice with the other soldiers.”

Viridus twisted his torso to watch him saunter off back the way they’d come, then looked back to the lieutenant, his neck warming up. “So, um…” His hands twitched. He should’ve brought something to do with those. “Is, is there a datapad or, um, something I can use..?”

She clacked her mandibles against her face, eyeing him. She was quiet for a moment, then folded her arms across her chest and simply said, “Not a people person, huh?”

He shook his head, looking at the floor. “No, ma’am.”

She snorted. “Hey, as long as you can shoot a gun and follow orders, what do I care? C’mere, we’ll get introductions out of the way, then you can go do whatever you want, ’s’long as you stay in the building.”

He bobbed his head in acknowledgement, and her feet shifted as she turned away from him. “Hey! Soft-plates! Pause the game and get up, it’s time to make a new friend!”

Viridus’s neck just got hotter as the rest of Maruns squad scrambled to obey. More talons crowded their way into his field of vision, and he chanced a look up. And, naturally, he regretted it immediately.

Eight sets of eyes, not including the lieutenant’s, peered back at him, all at varying heights and surrounded by a messy artist’s palette of colors. Five crestless, three crested, if he was counting correctly. His cowl vibrated with the mishmash of subvocals, _curious_ and _disinterested_ and _welcoming_ and _unimpressed_ all rolled together in one confusing cacophony of thrums. One, a sandy brown crested with sky-blue markings, caught his eye and lifted one mandible in what Viridus hoped was an attempt at a reassuring smile. He really couldn’t tell, with the mess of unfamiliar frequencies bombarding his auditory matrix.

“Alright, losers, we’ve got a new recruit,” the lieutenant was saying. “Name, rank, and job, that’s it. I’ll start.” She shook out her neck, then bobbed her head to Viridus. “First Lieutenant Acitina Octavigatus. It’s a mouthful, I know. Call me LT, ma’am, or, if we’re really casual, Ox. I’ll be running your exercises and missions. You obey every word out of my mouth, or we’re gonna have an issue.”

He swallowed. Sure, it was the standard puffed-up speech most commanders gave when meeting newbies, but it had always intimidated _him_ , at least. Especially since “Ox” looked like she could easily drop-kick him into orbit.

A skinny arm dropped onto Ox’s shoulder, and a ruddy brown crestless leaned in. “She means within reason, of course. You’re not required to jump into a volcano or anything just because she said so.” She stuck out a hand with a grin. “Chief Warrant Officer Laelin Optirinus, comms and tech support. Please remember to try turning it off and back on again _before_ yelling over to me.”

He nodded, mandibles pressed tight against his face, as more of the squad introduced themselves. The crested who’d smiled at him was Amullio Camsis, squad field medic. He mentally thanked the spirits for nametags- there was no way he’d remember everyone otherwise. Well, except maybe Valenia Vitatumnus. Soot streaks and a faint smell of chemicals made demolitions techs hard to forget.

No sooner had the introductions finished and Ox opened her mouth to continue before a new voice carried across the hall. “Hey, Ox, don’t we get to say hi to the rookie?”

Ox snapped her jaws shut, then snorted and shook her head. “What’s it to you, Aberlianus?” she hollered back, and Viridus winced at the sheer volume.

He turned to look, and had to force himself not to shrink back at the group of soldiers who had abandoned their chairs and were now weaving between tables to reach them. None of them bore officers’ bars; the only turian in the room who did, besides Ox, had his feet propped up on a table, and was watching the proceedings with his hands folded behind his head.

The soldier in the lead was a muscular crested, with pale bronze plates and yellow markings. He spread his hands and shrugged, one mandible tilted out in a lazy grin. “Hey, we work together plenty, don’t we?” he asked. “If Maruns gets a new kid, Saepil should get to meet ’im, too.”

Ox snorted. “Alright, fine. Caestero, this is Aulsius Aberlianus. He’s _very_ friendly.”

Viridus swallowed. “And that means..?”

A hand clapped down on his shoulder, and he glanced over to learn Ox had moved up to stand at his side. “Let me put it this way, Rookie,” she said, and the way she said ‘Rookie’ gave Viridus the sinking feeling he’d just been nicknamed. “Aberlianus here can tell you the location of every squeaky bunk in the barracks.”

Aberlianus turned his head so his crest was fully on display. “You’ll want to avoid the third bunk on the right, if you’re bunking with Maruns,” he said, one mandible waggling. “Unless you’ve got a thing for risking getting caught. I don’t judge.”

Viridus had thought his neck couldn’t possibly get hotter, but, well, there it went. “I, uh, I…” What did you _say_ to that? And all Aberlianus’s friends- no, _cronies-_ were snickering like it was just the funniest damn thing.

Mercifully, his omni-tool picked that moment to go off. Did he check it a little too quickly? Maybe, but who cared? Oediras’s contact picture flashed up next to the “incoming call” icon, and he bit back a sigh of relief. “Ma’am, if it’s alright with you, I should take this,” he said, glancing at Ox.

She shrugged and waved a hand. “Sure, what do I care? We’re on break. Pick a quiet room, if you want.”

He couldn’t have moved faster if she’d paid him. He closed the door on the peals of laughter that followed him, crossed the room to the provided couch, and nearly collapsed into it. Spirits. Somehow, all the vids had neglected to mention that beyond the aggressive lethality and strict discipline, the 26th was still a whole lot of relatively young turians. And young turians, Viridus had learned, socialized best with brutal honesty and way, _way_ too much information.

He took a deep breath to get a hold of himself, then hit “answer” on his omni-tool. “Hey, Oediras.”

A soothingly familiar gray, red-tattooed face grinned back at him from the vidcomm. “Viridus, my dude,” he said, fluttering his good mandible hard. “Freiya said you made it into the 26th? Why didn’t you call, man?”

He couldn’t help but smile back. Despite his typically blank tones, Oediras Saturinian had been a force of good in his training squad, even before the disastrous final mission that had scarred a good portion of his carapace and destroyed his right leg. He’d also been one of maybe two-point-three friends Viridus had been able to make in that squad, with his social skills as abysmal as they were. “Sorry. I’ve been busy ever since I found out.”

“Then how did _Freiya_ find out?”

Viridus snorted. “She’s a first lieutenant by now. She’s pulling an Arterius, just climbing the ranks like a cliff-face. Higher-ups will probably tell her anything she wants and then some. _I_ didn’t tell her.”

Oediras considered this, then shrugged. “Fair enough. So what’s it like?”

Viridus hesitated. “I don’t really know yet,” he hedged. “I only just got assigned to my squad an hour ago. Or more, I don’t know.”

“Where are you? Digeris?”

He nodded. “The main base, in the Zharral Desert. More of a scrubland where we are, if you ask me, but I guess they have their fancy technical reasons.”

Oediras clicked his mandibles. “Cool. Did you meet your squad yet?”

Another nod. “Maruns Squad. Supposedly, I’m under Captain Lupinion, but I haven’t met them yet. Just their lieutenant. Do you remember Captain Abrudas, from the vids about 314 they made us watch?” When Oediras nodded, he continued, “That’s the kind of muscles Lieutenant Octavigatus has.”

Oediras whistled, and Viridus nodded sagely. “Tell me about it. I’m pretty sure her left bicep is the size of my _head_.”

Oediras’s neck blanched. “Dude, do _not_ talk back to her. She’ll use you for bench presses.”

Viridus snorted. “Me? Talk back to a superior officer? Do I _look_ like a Madelivio to you?”

Oediras laughed. “Oh, dude, speaking of them, I ran into his brother earlier. You know, Tollak? He bought me coffee. And _apparently,_ he’s been following my team, since I’m a friend of his baby brother’s. He’s kinda quiet and doesn’t like to talk a whole lot, but he’s a nice guy. I dunno what Ax was always on about, he seems pretty chill.”

“It’s been nine years since we were in basic, Oediras. Maybe Tollak just mellowed with age.”

“Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I just wanted to talk to somebody, ’cause I’m in for another surgery soon, and I’m gonna go out of my mind if I don’t get some decent company. Do you wanna see what they did to my leg this time? It’s ridiculous, I’m telling you.”

Viridus raised a brow plate. “Sure.”

Oediras grunted and adjusted the camera angle on his end of the comm, then stood up and hobbled backwards. After a few steps, Viridus could see the problem: his injured leg stayed completely straight, not even a slight bend at the ankle to take his weight. Not the best qualities for a turian who played clawball in the professional disabled leagues. “I’m going to guess your leg usually has more give than that.”

“They were _waiting_ for me, man,” Oediras complained. “They were _waiting_ for the off-season so they could maximize time for stabbing me. I finish the game, I’m feeling all good about myself, I go to the locker room to shower and change, and there they are. Boom, I’m in the hospital and they’re prepping to put a pole in my leg.”

Viridus stayed quiet as his friend ranted, letting his voice and subvocals beat against his cowl in a comforting rhythm. He was on a new planet, at a new base, with a new squad. He knew nothing about anything, except that his new superior officer could crush his throat with one hand, and that even the legion with the most intimidating reputation in the Empire was still populated by idiots. The only thing familiar to him here was the weight of his memory chain around his neck and the dulcet tones of an old friend a system away.

This was going to be a very interesting assignment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> viridus and all his training squad that he keeps mentioning are all from the first couple chapters of [after time adrift among the stars.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1496836/chapters/3160882) it's not required reading, but if you want to know what happened to them, you should read the first few chapters of that.
> 
> also read all of oediras's lines in a cr1tikal voice


End file.
